Create the Old Section

LESSON 3.7
Create the Old Section

Grades 1-3

Remember how you created the hero in the story about the talking dog? You broke it down into:

Talking + dog

Then you decided your hero could be:

I + talking

I + dog

For example:

Maybe your hero had trouble talking or was scared of public speaking.

Then—

WHAT STATEMENT
LH	VP	RH
Hero	VP	Troublemaker
I + talking	because	talking dog

Or maybe the hero had a problem with a dog. Maybe it ran away or died.

WHAT STATEMENT
LH	VP	RH
Hero	Verb Phrase	Troublemaker
I + dog	had a problem with	a talking dog

Move Part of Troublemaker to the Hero

Here is what the story of the tiny man of mirrors looks like so far:

LH	VP	RH
Hero	Verb Phrase	Troublemaker
I	had a problem with	a tiny man of mirrors I found in a buried treasure chest

In the story, you found a tiny man of mirrors in a buried treasure chest. It includes:

Pirates
Treasure
Being small
Mirrors
Finding things

You are the hero. Maybe you love playing pirate, or you and your sisters once made pirate costumes.

Then your chart could look like this:

LH	VP	RH
Hero	Verb Phrase	Troublemaker
I + pirates	had a problem with	a tiny man of mirrors I found in a buried treasure chest

Or maybe you are good at finding things. Then you move “finding “things” to the LH.

LH	VP	RH
Hero	Verb Phrase	Troublemaker
I + finding things	had a problem with	a tiny man of mirrors I found in a buried treasure chest

Task 3.7.1 – Class

Move ONE part of the troublemaker to the hero’s box.

Introduce the Old Section

The first sentence introduces the Old Section.

To create the first sentence, just say how you feel about what you moved from the troublemaker. Keep it short. Examples:

“I have always wanted to be a pirate.”
“I like pirates.”
“I am good at finding things.”
“I like finding things.”

By a show of hands, pick the first sentence you like best.

Task 3.7.2 – Class

Create a first sentence.

Task 3.7.3 – Small Groups

Tell things related to the first sentence. Your teacher will write them down on the board. Here’s an example:

Teacher: Your first sentence is I like finding things. So now let’s begin to discuss that. Discuss means to explain. How about My friends call me Metal. Why might your friends call you “Metal”?

Student 1: ‘cause I like heavy metal. (Everyone laughs.)

Teacher: Why else?

Student 2: because we like finding things that are metal?

Teacher: Good! And what do people use to find metal things?

Student 3: I know! I know! My dad has one. A metal detector.

Teacher: That’s great! What kind of things can you find with a metal detector?

Student 3: Metal things?

Example

Using examples is the main way we communicate. Use an example to make your writing clear.

Teacher: Yes, but what metal things?

Student 4: Rings?

Teacher: What else?

Student 5: Watches?

Student 6: Coins?

Teacher: Have you found anything really cool?

Student 3: I found a Bowie knife. It was beautiful

Teacher: Did you keep it?

Student 3: I gave it to my dad for Christmas. (Everyone laughs and applauds.)

Write Sentences

Turn your ideas into sentences. Your teacher will help. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. You might end up with something like this:

“I like finding things. My friends call me Metal because I like heavy metal and using my dad’s metal detector. I find cool stuff like watches, rings, and coins. Once, I found a beautiful knife on the beach and gave it to my dad for Christmas.”

Task 3.7.4 – Tandem

Some of our sentences are fragments (parts of sentences). Attach them to sentences so you have five sentences. Don’t start a sentence with “because.”

I like finding things. (2) My friends call me Metal. (3) Because I like heavy metal. (4) And because I like to mess around with my dad’s metal detector. (5) I use it to find really cool stuff. (6) Like watches, rings, and coins. (7) Once I found a beautiful knife at the beach. (8) I gave it to my dad for Christmas.

LESSON 3.7 Create the Old Section